Ignition key/restart question

I have been looking at a VW TDI for quite awhile and I just recently drove a 2012 Golf 4dr TDI, 2012 Jetta TDI and I finally got the opportunity to drive a 2010 Sportwagon TDI, all with manual transmissions. I was supprised at how differently the three drove and I love the sportwagon, although it seemed to have a little hesitation vs the newer ones. I did have a little problem with clutch operation and I killed it a few times. Don't call me an idiot just yet, my current daily is a 3/4 ton diesel chevy with a manual tranny (learned to drive in it and I have had it for 8 years), and I'm sure it has spoiled me with the ability to drop the clutch in 2nd and it wont stall/die. But I noticed on the Golf and the Sportwagon I had to turn the key all the way off before I could restart the car. While on the Jetta sedan I didn't, I could just turn the key and it would restart.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Critically, does anyone know if I can do something to be able to just turn the key to restart or do I have to live with rotating to the off position before it will restart?

Does anyone have any idea as to how this works with the keyless entry/start system?

I can't help you with the keyed cars, I have the keyless system on my sportwagen. In this system you can't shut the motor off without turning off the ignition. To shut the motor off you press the start/stop button and everything shuts down when you do that, even the radio. If you want the radio on after you've shut the car off, you just press the power button on the radio and it'll stay on for an hour or so.

I can't help you with the keyed cars, I have the keyless system on my sportwagen. In this system you can't shut the motor off without turning off the ignition. To shut the motor off you press the start/stop button and everything shuts down when you do that, even the radio. If you want the radio on after you've shut the car off, you just press the power button on the radio and it'll stay on for an hour or so.

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Yeah, if you stall out with KESSY, you just depress the clutch and push the button. The car does the rest.

Thanks for the info. I can't bring myself to buy an automatic, call me old fasioned but I'd rather have a car with manual windows too. :eek Since that kind of car doesn't exsist in a Wagon with a diesel I guess I can deal with it.

I can't figure out why you would want someone to turn the key off before restarting the car after they killed it. I assume the Jetta sedan and Sportwagon both have the same engine and transmission, so is it just an ECU flash to use the sedan's or what?

I can't figure out why you would want someone to turn the key off before restarting the car after they killed it.

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I think It has something to do with German law.

All the older German cars had the turn the switch off to restart. What's interesting is that on the older cars, the lockout function was a mechanical part of the switch that wouldn't let the switch turn to the start position until you turned to off and back to on.

On the newer cars the function is software in the ECU.

On my 06, if you kill it, you can still turn the key directly to the start position but the starter won't engage until you turn the key off and back on and then go to start.

I wish that was the case. My 2012 Golf, if you stall it, you must turn the key to the off position and then restart it...been guilty of this a time or two. It is a pain in the rear. Not sure why they designed the car this way. As far as the engine's are concerned, they're all the same 2.0L CR engines across the board between Jetta, Golf, and JSW. It must be a design thing in the actual ignition that requires the key to be turned to the off position before restarting.

Are there VW TDI guru's around that might be able to shed some light on the subject? I know there are for diesel trucks and motorcycles. I don't think that it is a mechanical lockout because I can physically turn the key to the "start" position but it will not engage the starter. Does anyone know if the ecu's hardware in all the models are the same? If so can you reflash the ECU in the Sportwagon with the info from the sedan?

I have been looking at a VW TDI for quite awhile and I just recently drove a 2012 Golf 4dr TDI, 2012 Jetta TDI and I finally got the opportunity to drive a 2010 Sportwagon TDI, all with manual transmissions. I was supprised at how differently the three drove and I love the sportwagon, although it seemed to have a little hesitation vs the newer ones. I did have a little problem with clutch operation and I killed it a few times. Don't call me an idiot just yet, my current daily is a 3/4 ton diesel chevy with a manual tranny (learned to drive in it and I have had it for 8 years), and I'm sure it has spoiled me with the ability to drop the clutch in 2nd and it wont stall/die. But I noticed on the Golf and the Sportwagon I had to turn the key all the way off before I could restart the car. While on the Jetta sedan I didn't, I could just turn the key and it would restart.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Critically, does anyone know if I can do something to be able to just turn the key to restart or do I have to live with rotating to the off position before it will restart?

Does anyone have any idea as to how this works with the keyless entry/start system?

Thanks

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Same thing happened to me during my test drive. When it would not restart, we thought we had run out of gas since the low fuel light was on already. Sales guy didn't know what to do. I ended up turning the key completely off, then she started up again fine.

I wish that was the case. My 2012 Golf, if you stall it, you must turn the key to the off position and then restart it...been guilty of this a time or two. It is a pain in the rear. Not sure why they designed the car this way. As far as the engine's are concerned, they're all the same 2.0L CR engines across the board between Jetta, Golf, and JSW. It must be a design thing in the actual ignition that requires the key to be turned to the off position before restarting.

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Wow. Did you even read my post? I'm pretty sure I explained the German no start without turning off the key thing pretty clearly................................

Being a new - first time VW owner, I can't speak to how other VW's work, but my 2012 TDI Jetta 6MT w/KESSY allows me to just press the "start" button again to restart. I don't have to turn it off - just depress the clutch pedal and restart.